It all blew away.

So this afternoon Theseus and I bundled up and went out again, collecting all the cardboard and stacking it behind the house. We'll have to wait to spread it out until we get all the hay delivered, I guess. We called a guy that is offering mulch hay for $1/bale; hopefully he'll give us a call back tomorrow and let us know if he will deliver.

I also ordered all the seeds today. We are using two different companies this year: Victory Seeds, which supplied all our seeds last year, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which is a little more expensive but offered a few varieties we wanted that were sold out of Victory. Now that we have a year of serious gardening under our belts, we were able to select seeds with a bit more knowledge for the coming spring. As a result, we scaled back the different types of vegetables and focused on variety of the ones we had success with. Our potatoes, which we haven't ordered yet, will again come from Wood Prairie Farm, an organic family farm in Bridgewater, Maine. Always happy to do business with New Englanders! :)

After dinner (salad and a cup of hot soup) we gave the baby a bath - he's so funny in the tub. My grandmother bought him a little whale that floats in the bath and shoots water through its spout. He loves it! I can't wait for him to get a little older so he can spend more time playing in the water. I always loved baths when I was young. After he was rinsed off, I lotioned him up and Theseus put him down for bed. He's such an agreeable little guy.

So now we've settled into the couch by the fire. I'm so glad we got the chimney inspected/repaired this year - having a fire in the evenings is the best!! I've also attracted a lonely cat who has made himself at home in my lap. Not a bad night.

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Today's photo is up!

It is January and we are running out of time. :(

Today we braved a chilly wind and moved more of the leaf pile(s!) from the front yard to the giant leaf pile in the back. I hate to keep whining about the raking, but we have a TON of leaves on our property. It's absurd. Theseus made a sled for the leaves out of a tarp and a random wooden pole he found in the basement, so we raked the smaller leaf piles onto the tarp and then dragged it into the back yard to add to the big pile. Sounds pretty easy, but it's actually kind of exhausting. We did that until lunch time and then came inside to eat and warm our faces.

After lunch and after the baby went down for another nap, we headed back outside and took out the tractor, Bess. She's seen some better days, but she still has a couple years left in her, I think. Anyway, we forked compost from last year's leaf pile into the trailer and hauled it to the main garden for spreading. Once that was done, Theseus sliced up some cardboard boxes and I spread it over the compost. We had a heck of a time combating weeds last season; hopefully the cardboard will at least slow them down. Before we went inside, our faces freezing, Theseus hosed down the cardboard so it doesn't blow away.

We've been inside for over an hour now and I still can't feel my nose!

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Today's photo is up. :)

I don't know what got into us today - we got a ton of fun stuff up on the walls! Two years after we bought the house and we're just getting around to decorating, haha.

Our new mirror went up in the living room, to the left of the window. On the other side, we put up two multi-photo frames that I'd filled over the summer; one frame for Theseus, one for me, each a collection of new and old photos. I'm really proud of them. :)
     

So here we are, settled back in at home. Our Florida vacation was much too short. :(

I spent the morning unpacking all our clothes and doing laundry while Theseus gathered up his military gear. He has an equipment inspection this weekend at drill, so our car will be filled with musty duffle bags and stacks of mostly-unused clothing. Army gear has a distinctive smell to it - a mix of wet dogs, rust and sour milk. Fellow Soldiers: you know what I'm talking about, right?
    

Wouldn't mind being in Florida right about now. :/

I've heard 1-3 inches, heard 3-5. It's after 10 p.m. and I just looked outside - nothing yet. I wanted to watch a little of it before bed but I don't think I can wait up much longer. Sleep is rapidly overtaking me.

I like to watch the snow. I sit at the back windows, facing the lake, and sip a cup of tea or mug of hot chocolate while the flakes drift lazily to the ground. The contrast between the cold air coming off the windowpane and the warmth in my cup is sharp but comforting.

Sometimes a cat joins me at the windows, but it's ok to sit there alone. I like the sound of wintery silence, to watch the snow fall but not hear it.

If there's enough on the ground tomorrow, maybe I'll make a snow angel.